Another blown save leads to another Astros loss to the Rangers

What appeared to be a smooth tagout of Alex Rios at home plate during a 4-4 game in the eighth inning suddenly turned into a one-run Rangers lead, when Astros catcher Jason Castro dropped a throw from second baseman Jose Altuve after Rios initially was erased.

“Good play, he caught the ball, he put the tag on him,” Astros manager Bo Porter said. “Just the momentum of the contact dislodged the ball. Good slide by their guy — everything clean about it — and we just were not able to hold on to the ball.”

The reeling Astros also couldn’t hold on to another late lead, blowing their 21st save and sixth in seven attempts. Porter’s club gave up leads in the seventh and eighth innings, eventually falling 5-4 during an American League West matchup before an announced crowd of 33,322.

The Astros (37-78) are 1-8 during their last nine games and just 4-17 since the All-Star break.

The Rangers (67-50) have won six consecutive games and the initial two contests of a four-game series. With Saturday’s victory, they moved a game ahead of Oakland for first place in the division.

The Astros placed runners at the corners with no outs in the second inning against Rangers starting lefthander Derek Holland but failed to score, with Matt Dominguez and Brett Wallace striking out and Brandon Barnes flying out to center field.

The Rangers then had men on second and third with one out in the third. But Elvis Andrus struck out and Ian Kinsler popped out.

The Astros broke through in the bottom of the frame. Rookie Robbie Grossman singled to right field and L.J. Hoes took Grossman’s place at first after a force out. A double to deep center field by Altuve followed, scoring Hoes and giving the Astros a 1-0 lead. A potential second run was erased when Altuve was easily thrown out at home by Leonys Martin after Castro singled to shallow center field.

“I always want to know. I coached third base for a long time,” Porter said. “If you don’t send him, you don’t know, and I want to find out.”

The Rangers loaded the bases with one out in the fourth. Rookie Jurickson Profar chased a 75 mph breaking ball from Peacock for a swinging strikeout, though, and David Murphy flied out to left field to give the Rangers six men left on base and no runs in the initial four frames.

“I just want to keep my team in it and go six or more innings. And that’s what I did (Saturday). Castro called another great game … and it all worked out,” said Peacock, who allowed just one run and three hits in six innings and has only given up four runs in 13 innings since returning to the rotation.

Chris Carter’s team-leading 20th home run – a monster shot pulled to deep left field off a 3-0 sinker — pushed the Astros to a 2-0 advantage in the fourth.

A 417-foot solo blast by A.J. Pierzynksi to deep right field in the sixth pulled the Rangers within 2-1. Elvis Andrus’ two-run homer to left field off rookie reliever Kevin Chapman then tied the contest at 3 in the seventh.

“It has been tough lately,” Chapman said. “But, I mean, we’re going to come back (Sunday) and get better and keep working. I was just out there trying to attack hitters and get ahead of hitters. Give credit to Andrus for staying on a pretty good pitch and getting the barrel to it.”

The Astros regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh when Brandon Barnes crossed home after a wild pitch by reliever Jason Frasor.

But a Pierzynski double and Rios triple resulted in a 4-4 eighth-inning tie. Then what should have been the second out of the frame and Rios erased at home via a solid throw by Altuve suddenly turned into a 5-4 Rangers lead.

“Fundamental baseball will lose you games and fundamental baseball wins you games,” said infielder Jake Elmore, who began the Rangers’ seventh with a fielding error on a Profar grounder. “Chapman made a good pitch on (my error); should’ve had an out. Castro, you know, I’m sure he wished he would’ve held on to it.”